The Crown
Published: May 3rd, 2016
Page Count: 279
"When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.
Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined."
~
5 stars
I know a lot of people have been wishing that The Selection series would have just ended after the first three books. I am most definitely not one of them.
Granted, Eadlyn has not been the nicest of princesses in The Heir but she has definitely grown a lot since then.
Now America has fallen sick and almost died, her twin has abandoned her and she has the son of the competitor to the crown trying to get her to back out of her reign. Madrid, pretending as an old family friend to try and help Eadlyn in her decisions as regent only has his eye on one thing: her title. Maybe his exposure has come as a surprise to some people but I was always a bit wary of his appearance, especially when the rumors of him being in love with her began popping up in the newspapers and magazines.
Despite the fact that America has managed to recover from her heart attack, we can see that this takes a big toll on Eadlyn and she begins to take a lot of things less for granted. She really tries to make an effort with the Selection, but as time goes on we can see that her heart lies only with one person: Erik, or Eikko.
The struggle between doing what she wants most in the world and what is expected of her becomes an everyday burden for her.
I have to say, I am absolutely thrilled about Eadlyn being crowned queen. It was so selfless and sweet of her to offer taking up the crown to her father so that he may have a happy life with America while she got better. I cried tears of happiness as she took up the vows. Eadlyn has definitely turned into a strong, powerful but also compassionate young woman whom we had hoped to see in the first book.
This is where I have to call out a bit to the people who were bitching to an almost extreme level about Eadlyn's behavior. No, I didn't like it any more than most people did. However, I also prefer to read about characters who aren't perfect, who have flaws and still need to learn something. That's what books are for, anyway: to learn and grow with the characters, and Eadlyn is no exception to that. Seeing her take up her role with a grace and beauty that only a selfless and kind-hearted person could manage was so rewarding for me as a reader and it made me feel so proud of her.
I was also extremely surprised to learn about Lady Brice's place in the royal family and it felt really nice to learn that small detail about King Clarkson that we had not seen in the original Selection books and adds another layer that we have now uncovered.
More surprising however was the reveal of Ean and Hale's relationship. As a complete LGBT supporter it felt really nice to see that love between them and see how Eadlyn was gracious and accepting of that. She sets a great example that a lot of people should follow and I hope it shames and slams some homophobic readers. What brings me even more joy is knowing the Kiera is a Christian woman herself (like me) and that you can be a Christian and be accepting of the LGBT community.
I also thought that turning Illea into a constitutional monarchy felt like the perfect balance to the caste problem that the series has been battling with since the beginning (although I do have to admit that I had to Google what that meant) and felt like an elegant solution and a mature decision on Eadlyn's part.
Overall, it was an amazing conclusion to the entire Selection series. It was bittersweet and heartbreaking (especially the part with Kile getting his dream) and I am pleased with Eadlyn's decision and would hope for maybe one of two novellas (I am personally addressing you, Kiera *nudge nudge*) to give us a few details about Eadlyn and Eikko's wedding and life as a married couple. The only thing that made me a bit sad was the fact that Lucy and Aspen still didn't get any luck with having any children of their own but it was sweet to see that they were accepting of it in the end, since they had a big extended family.
~
"There are moments when a room full of politicians seems easier to manage than six boys."
"And if you don't mind, get yourself a husband as soon as you can. I'm not getting any younger, and I'd like to see at least one great-grandchild before I'm dead."
"You are more than decent, Eadlyn. Maybe I haven't told you enough, but you're an extraordinary young woman. Bright and funny and capable. What a privilege it will be to be your subject."
"That looks rather nice on you."
"Nearly everything does."
"Maybe it's not the first kisses that are supposed to be special. Maybe it's the last ones."
"Trust your gut. Trust your heart."
"I'm terrified of my heart."
"There's nothing there to fear."
"If there's one thing I hope my leaving home proves it's that you have to do whatever it takes to be with the power you love."
"I'm telling you, Eady, wars and treaties and even countries will all come and go. But your life is yours, singular and sacred, and you should be with the person who makes it feel that way every blessed second you live it."
"There is no shame in loving who you love, and there is great honor in doing what is right."
"I'd had so many luxuries in my life, and I thought I'd had a taste of this before, but I realized now it was merely a cheap imitation of something not meant to be imitated in the first place."
"We would live together and weave our lives into one another's and hold on to a sacred sisterhood that only a handful of women even experienced."
"I'm in love with him, and I want to marry him. And even though he hates having his picture taken, I want to take a thousand so I can put him on my wall and wake up to us laughing every day, just like you do with Mom. And I want him to make me doughnuts, just like his mom does for his dad. Even if I have to let out all my dresses. And I want us to find our own thing or maybe find out that our own thing is everything, because I feel like if I have him, even the stupid stuff would matter."
"My life should be wholly mine, not yours. And conversely, your lives should be wholly yours, not mine,"
"Finding a prince might mean kissing a lot of frogs. Or kicking a lot of frogs out of your house. Falling might mean running headfirst into something you always wanted. Or dipping your toe into something you've been scared of your whole life. Happily ever after could be waiting in a field a mile wide. Ot a window as narrow as seven minutes."
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